


Prompt: Lovesick

by respoftw



Series: Comfortween 2020 [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: DADT Repeal, M/M, hypoglycaemia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26792194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: Rodney avoids the mess hall, it doesn’t end well.  Except it kind of does.
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Series: Comfortween 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947178
Comments: 22
Kudos: 131
Collections: Comfortween 2020





	Prompt: Lovesick

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a list of prompts for “Comfortween” [on dreamwidth](https://hurtcomfortex.dreamwidth.org/22946.html)
> 
> 4\. Lovesick  
> Pining to the point of self-neglect or harm, sleepless nights, forgetting to eat, forgetting to come in out of the rain.

Rodney knew he was in the infirmary before he opened his eyes.He knew why he was there too, the aftershocks of a hypoglycaemic attack were all too familiar even if it had been a long time since he’d not paid enough attention to managing his condition to experience them.

“Good, you’re awake.”

Rodney cracked open an eye to see Carson sitting in the chair next to him, a book face down in his lap.

“Have you just been sitting there watching me sleep?” Rodney muttered, his mouth dry.

“I’ve been monitoring you, you daft arsehole,” Carson cursed.He poured a glass of a water from a pitcher and helped Rodney sit up enough to drink it.“Would you care to explain to me why no one has seen you eat in the mess hall for the past two days?”

Rodney winced, the water he’d just soothed his dry throat with not working against the lump of guilt.“It’s not like I wasn’t eating, I had stuff in my room.” The excuse sounded weak even to him.

“Aye, well, it obviously wasn’t bloody enough, was it?” Carson shook his head.“You do realise that if you’d collapsed in your room instead of in the corridors that we might not have found you in time?”

Rodney didn’t answer that, what was there to say? He knew he’d fucked up but...

“You have to face him some time, lad.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you —“ Rodney blustered.

Carson talked over him.“- and there’s no time like the present.”

John shuffled into the room then, looking pale and drawn and, god, it hurt to see him.

Two days and - well, Rodney wasn’t sure how long he’d been unconscious so he didn’t know how many hours - ago, John had turned him down.

It was a nice turn down, the nicest Rodney had ever received but that didn’t stop it from hurting.

Carson left them alone and Rodney sighed.So much for avoiding the problem.

John shifted uncomfortably on his feet before he started patting down his pockets, emptying two energy bars and three tubs of jello onto the table.

“Eat,” he demanded before sitting in the seat that Carson had vacated.

“I - - “

“Eat the damn food, McKay.Please.”

It was the please that did it.Rodney reached for one of the power bars and tore the wrapper open.He took a huge bite, thankful that it meant he had an excuse not to have to say anything.

“You...” John broke off, ran a hand through his ridiculous hair and blew out a breath.“Don’t forget to eat again, ok?Just...if you want to avoid me, if that makes it easier then that’s fine, I’ll start eating in my room, I’ll take myself off the team, I’ll-“

Rodney swallowed his food, almost choking in the process.“Like hell you will,” he coughed, waving off John’s concern.

“Rodney.”

“No.” Rodney sighed.“Look, I could have handled this better, ok? You were nice enough to let me down gently and - “

“I wasn’t letting you down gently,” John interrupted.“I was - just because I can’t doesn’t mean I don’t want to, Rodney.I told you that.”

“Yes, but you were just -“

“I wasn’t just anything, McKay.I’m in charge of the military and while I can take the chance of turning a blind eye to what my men and women do that goes against that stupid code, I can’t ask them to do the same for me.I can’t ask you to hide when you deserve - you deserve everything I would want to give you, ok?You deserve everything and I can’t.I can’t, Rodney.Not yet.”

It was probably the most words Rodney had ever heard John say at once.It had the effect of stunning Rodney into silence.John meant it.He meant every word.

“Just promise me that you’ll start eating again.”

Rodney nodded, taking another bite of the bar immediately, pulling a smile from John.

“Someday, ok?I’m not saying wait for me, I would never, just - someday, ok?” John stood up abruptly.“I need to go and let Teyla and Ronon know you’re ok. I’ll, I’ll see you later?”

Rodney swallowed.“Yeah.I’ll see you at dinner.”

John nodded, turned to leave.

“John?”

He turned.“Yeah, buddy?”

“I’ll wait. However long...I’ll wait.”

And he did.It took a few years but on the day that DADT was repealed, John showed up at Rodney’s door with a boxful of power bars and MREs and the promise that neither of them would see the mess hall for at least a few days.

It was worth the wait.


End file.
